Dec 30 2008
British Columbia Avalanche Claims Eight Lives
People in the small community of Sparwood, which is a little east of Fernie B.C., Canada, are mourning the loss of eight snowmobilers who went missing on Sunday. Eleven snowmobilers had gone out Sunday when they were buried by two separate avalanches.
Three men survived the ordeal but eight others were not so lucky. Recovered yesterday were the bodies of Warren Rothel, 33, Thomas Talarico, 32, Kane Rusnak, 30, Leonard Stier, 45, and his son Michael Stier, 20, Kurt Kabel, 28, and Blayne Wilson, 26. Recovered today was the body of Danny Bjarnason, 28. It is reported that many of these men have children.
The men had all worked in a local mine together, and it is reported that they had planned the trip days in advance with safety precautions put in place. The Canadian Avalanche Centre reports an average of eleven fatalities per year in Canada.
